Shadow½
by Targhan
Summary: When two worlds collide, how will the cast of Ranma survive? When there is a loss, how will they cope? [R/A][slight angst]


Targhan's Fanworks Present:

Shadow 1/2

Short-Story/Prologue: **A Nightmare and a Vision**

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not for profit.

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Kuno left early again for the Kendo Club's meeting, as his internal eye wandered into the swirling mists contained within the halls of his own mind. "Why! Why hasn't Saotome thrown any of the nasty spells I've seen him use before," he asked himself while noting the black robed Saotome had fired some sort of a fiery arrow at an angelic woman so long ago. He had witnessed Saotome do this, and much worse. Strangely, no one seemed to believe him about Saotome's wicked magic.

In junior high, no one believed him about the magical wars being fought, so he just kept the stories to himself. Eventually, the visions where he saw Saotome stopped, and he had hoped that would be the end of it. However, it was not to be. Several months later, Saotome arrived again, but the situation was different. Everyone could see the cur now, so he knew he wasn't imagining things. Why wouldn't the foul sorcerer come out and prove it? In the end, Kuno had to turn his attention to the Kendo Club meeting as he has every morning, until the arrival of the fair Akane and that sorcerer in a martial artist's clothing.

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Author's Note: Just... What if Kuno ***wasn't*** crazy? What if his visions were ***real***?  
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"Ahh!" Akane screamed, as her body lifted quickly into a sitting position on her bed. Where a teenager once peacefully slept, now sat a distressed young woman. Her arms were moved to rest on her knees, as her eyes stared widely at the blankets covering her legs. Her hands were used to squeeze the dream from her mind, as she pressed into her temples. Slowly looking up, a single tear fell from its corner streaking down her cheek. The glistening trail was interrupted as she very quietly muttered, "Ranma."

Slowly, she arose from her bed using her hands for leverage, as her knees just felt too weak to stand on. "So real," she whispered, "it all seemed too real." She moved quietly towards the window of her room, while she looked desperately at the lawn. The yard was still her own, not the edge of some forest as what appeared in her dream. The morning's light made the dew on the grass twinkle, almost as if there were a layer of silver across the tips of the grass. "Oh, Ranma," she muttered again, but she soon realized that this was Monday, and they had school!

Pushing the dream aside, she scrambled to the bathroom. Along the way, she heard the commotion from outside--the commotion of Ranma and his father fighting one of their endless duals. Once in the bathroom, her body switched itself into automatic. She did all of her morning ritual without skipping a beat; however, she promised herself that she would try to be a little more forgiving of the baka today. 

At the breakfast table, Ranma and his father reenacted their morning performance of fighting over the breakfast that was meticulously created by Akane's eldest sister. Soun held his paper by his side, and Nabiki looked like death warmed over. Akane mused about why her sister, Nabiki, would look so terrible in the morning, "I wonder what she does with that computer all night?" Somehow, everyone, including Ranma, overlooked the fact that Akane sat just a bit closer to Ranma this morning. She reasoned with herself, "It's not like I care about the baka or anything; I just don't feel so well after that dream."

The walk to school was far different than usual, as Akane wasn't as concerned about the fence walking as usual. In fact, she was trying to gleam a message out of that dream, so she began replaying the dream mentally...

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Akane watched the confines of home slip away into the distance; her thoughts on the battle ahead. On the backs of horses, they made their way past the forest behind their home, and rode into the distance. The ride wasn't as important as the destination, so the sun in the sky could be seen falling far faster than real-time. The time spent at the encampment too seemed to fly by, as the little things of the day were lost into a void of time. It was on the third night that the horror began.

The third night, as saw from her dream, was one of intense fighting. The kind of fighting she hadn't ever witnessed before. The earth was blackened with the charred remains of various combatants littered all about. The sky was dark, yet where the moon tried to shine through there was filthy clouds of dust and smoke. The place reeked of evil, and the field smelled of death. In the distance, she could hear battle-cries and the clanking of steel on steel. Further away, she could hear the slight sounds of drums and chanting. With each of these observations, one could only feel the spine tingling sensation of despair.

Whatever more could have been taken in was lost due to Akane's immediate surroundings. A red light whizzed by on its way to some unforeseen target. The light, while a bright red didn't move with the speed of a Hyru Shoten Ha, but with the slow grace of a cheap Roman-Candle. Suddenly, the world went white, as the battle moved closer threatening to overwhelm her being. Ranma was ahead of her doing something with his hands, and her father was using some strange technique that looked like a cross between one of Ranma's chi blasts and lightning.

She saw wounded people at her feet, and could feel a strange tingling as her hands moved back and forth touching them slightly. Akane could almost feel the chi used in techniques to heal her fallen comrades. Then, there were more fireworks overhead. Unearthly screams that shook the very foundation of the battlefield. Looking up she noticed Kasumi was also moving in and about the injured. Somehow, she knew that her eldest sister wasn't bringing good news. Akane felt the anguish coming closer with her sister. A sudden numb feeling came over her, as she suddenly felt her sister pulling her along--away from the battle.

Akane could hear herself scream for her father, as she tried to look back onto the wasteland that once was a valley. Giving in, she mounted her horse; she turned one last time, only to see a giant explosion engulf the area she once occupied. At this point she could even feel herself screaming for Ranma, Nabiki, Ryoga, and her father. The revere was broken, as her sister spoke to her, "I'm sorry Akane. We must live. We must hide within the confines of our little land, and we can avenge their deaths another day." Out of nowhere, an odd looking Genma appeared with them; he was a wiser looking man, though injured, who seemed to have a metal skull cap in place that glittered in the sun.

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Akane snapped back into reality, when she heard Ranma break Kuno's bokken. She looked over at Ranma, and said "Be careful, Ranma." Then, she grabbed his arm. 

Confused, Ranma asked, "Hey! What's with you, tomboy?"

Letting the comment pass, Akane found an inner strength to maybe bring them closer together. Akane started, "Ranma, would you teach me how to cook? I know that you can do OK, but I'll need you to guide my hands for it. OK?"

Even more confused, Ranma answered, "Uh, yeah. Whatever you say. You aren't going to try to kill me or nuthin' are you?"

Akane, grinned happily, as she let go of his arm, "Why you, big silly!" Then, she punctuated her remark with a feather light punch to Ranma's shoulder.

On the way into school building, Ranma looked desperately all over Akane for the Contrary Jewell...

"Why are you looking at Akane like that, you **fiend**?!!?" demanded the suddenly appearing lost-boy.

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Somewhere else, a young woman with long light blue hair was making her bed. The girl's sadness beamed out of her swollen eyes. She felt the pain of eyes that have cried themselves dry repeatedly. Yet, that pain was nothing like the giant rip she had in her heart. The girl had lost her only friends again in the dream this past night, and she, again, had to race back home out of fear. The pain of losing her family renewed itself too, but she had to go about her daily duties. She silently wished that her friends and loved ones could have a better life somewhere else; then, she heard her sister calling, "Akane! Breakfast is ready!"

Tying some of her flowing blue hair into two braids on either side of her face, she called back to her sister, "I'm coming Kasumi!"

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**Shadow 1/2**

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Background Notes: A new alternate universe formed within the swells of time and space. A universe of two worlds bounded together by fate will send challenges both personal and dangerous into the lives of Nerima's citizens. The two worlds are of one live vein; a yen and yang, so to speak. A world of magic darkened by a sinister shadow and a world of physical laws will clash possibly resulting in the destruction of both. 

Ninety percent of the population has a counterpart in the other world, an altered existence. The remaining ten percent are seers who can see into the other world; some would call those who can see into the other world crazy. Others may call them visionaries. The percentage has changed, as a war rages on the magical realm...

Author's Notes: This story is not designed for Ranma to learn to become a bad-ass sorcerer. In fact, there already was one; he died. If anything, I would describe this as a fairy tale with hints of action/adventure. The characters will be challenged personally, and respond to them. I don't intend to really get into this story until I'm finished with "A Divine Daughter" and "ReArrange," so it may take a while to really get under way... 

--  
Targhan

5/29/02

Targhan's World: www.geocities.com/targhan_aga

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The challenge: www.beeftrapeze.com/challenge


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